Drain mechanism



Ja- 14, 1947- P. E. GELDHoF ETAL 2,414,196

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DRAIN MECHANISM Filed Dec, 6, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 14,1947

` DRAIN MECHANISM Peter Eduard `('ieldhof and `Luther Ringer,

St. Joseph, Mich.,

assgnors to Nineteen Hundred Corporation,` St. Joseph, Mich., a, corporation of New York Application December 6, 1943, Serial N0. 513,138

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to' improvements in home laundry apparatus. More particularly, the instant invention is concerned with a means for discharging the cleansing fluid from the container of such a machine for temporary storage pending the use of the container for the performance of other allied steps in the complete cycle of a laundering operation.

The means of the present inventionare particularly advantageouslyadapted vto use in connection with an automatic washing, rinsing and drying apparatus. As is customary in thev use of such equipment, a complete cycleof operations is performed which normally includes washing, rinsing and drying of the clothes or other fabrics tol be laundered in the container. The rinsing operations, of which there are ordinarily'several, usually employ only clear water of relatively low or medium temperature and, therefore, no great loss is experienced by thedischarge of such water to the drain and the use of a fresh water supply foreach of these operations.

i In the case of the washing step, however, an abundance of water at a relatively high temperature in which large quantities of soap or other suitable cleansing agentsare dissolved is required for carrying out the laundering operation. For this reason, it is 'particularly advantageous to remove the soapy water from the container of the automatic washing, rinsing and drying machine following the completionof the washing step to some suitable storage means for temporary retention pending the completion of the subsequent stages in the complete cycle of operationsall of which are performed in or with the ald of the container.f Then on the completion of the rinsing. and drying operations, the soapy water employed in the previous washing step may again be introduced to the container for reuse.

Such a procedure as that outlined above makes possible a considerable saving in the hot Water supply and" also in the quantity of detergent required to complete the laundering operation. This is indeed an important factor since the hot water supply in the average home is limited and most systems are incapable of producing a continuous supply of water of a temperature sufficiently high to perform the several washing steps for numerous batches of clothing or other articles to be laundered with the greatest facility.

It will be understood that during the storage of the water for the temporary period preceding its reintroduction tothe container of the washing apparatus, it may, if desired, be heated to maintain a temperature somewhat `nearer that re- 2 quired for its use in the subsequent washing operation.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide novel drain mechanism which is particularly useful in apparatus capable of producing the aforementioned advantageous results and, in so doing, to facilitate the use of `home laundry apparatus.

pending the conclusion of intermediate steps in the cycle of operations employed in connection with such apparatus so that the cleansing fluid may be returned to the machine for any desired number of subsequent washing operations.

present invention as illustrated in the Other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment of the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of a typical form of automatic washing, rinsing and drying machine with which the device of the present invention is particularly advantageously adapted to be employed associated with a suitable storage means and a drain outlet; I

Figure 2 is an elevation of the apparatus as seen from the line II-II in Figure 1 with parts insection; i L

Figure 3 is an elevation of the machine of Figure 1 with parts removed for the sake of clearness and to aid in illustrating the application of the device of the presentinvention to the structure of an automatic washing, rinsing and drying machine;

i Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the machine with parts broken away to illustrate the drain mechanism in plan;

Figure 5 represents a vertical section along the line V--V `through the drain mechanism illustrated in Figure 4 in one stage of its operation;

and

Figure 6 corresponds generally to Figure 5 but illustrates the drain mechanism with the parts t ployed in lieu of the laundry tray 2 I.

of the apparatus. The cabinet II is provided with a top panel I2 in which is disposed a. cover I3 for the introduction of articles to be laundered to the 'interior parts of the machine. A control knob I4 is provided for the purpose of setting or adjusting the timing mechanism which directs the operation of the machine in the performance of the complete cycle of its operations and is mounted on the top panel I2 adjacent one corner thereof. A second control' knob I5 by means of which the operator selects the desired temperature for the cleansing fluid, in this case, water, which is supplied by a suitable mixer type valve (not shown) to be employed in the various steps of the laundering operations is located adjacent another corner of the top panel I2.

The drain mechanism to which the present invention relates is indicated generally. in Figure 3 of the drawings by the reference character I6. 'Ihe drain mechanism I6 is advantageously positioned near the base of the cabinet Il and substantially directly below the control knob I5 in the top panel I2 of said cabinet.

The drain mechanism I6 of the invention takes the form of a two-way valve having a pair of outlets I1 and I8 which advantageously take the form of flexible rubber hose connections having molded gooseneck ends which are adapted to be hung over the edge of the laundry tray 2|. Ihe outlet connection I'I is `advantageously adapted to be associated with the section' I9 of the laundry tray 2| while the connection I8 may be associated with section thereof., Section I9 of the laundry tray 2I -is thus employed as a storage means for the temporary storing of the soapy water following the washing operation performed in the automatic washing machine I0 pending thecompletion of the subsequent operations in the operating cycle thereof by plugging the drain outlet 22therefor. The drain 23 of the section 28 may be left open so as to permit the fluid discharged by the hose connection I8 to pass to the drain.

Any suitable form of pumping means such, for example, as the portable pump unit 24, detachably mounted upon the laundry tray 2i, may vlbe employed for withdrawing the stored water from the section I9 of said tray for reintroduction io the automatic washing machine I II.

It'will be readily understood that any suitable storage means and drainage outlet may be em- Inasmuch as a laundry tray oi the type illustrated is usually standard equipment in many homes, it is advantageous to employ one of the sections thereof for the storage of the hot soapy water removed fromthe machine I 0 following the washing operation, while another of the sections may be used to receive the water employed in the other operations, all of which is to be discharged to the drain outlet. v

As illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, the drain mechanism Il of the invention is connected as bymeans of the hose connection 25 to the discharge side of the pump unit `26 mounted in and forming a part of the washing machine I0. The pump 28, which is driven by the main motor 21vthrough pulleys 28, 29 on said motor and pump, respectively, together with the belt 30, is connected to the sump 3| of the tub 32 by means of a suitable hose connection 33 through which the water is removed from said tub and discharged through the drain mechanism I8.

TheV tub 32 of the typical automatic washing, rinsing and drying machine surrounds a suitable i `vice to set the apparatus in motion. At the same time, the operator selects, .by setting the control knob I5, the desired temperature for the supply of water to be introduced to the tub 32 of the machine at its proper interval in accordance with the cycle of operations which is controlled by the timing device.

The drain mechanism of the present invention is advantageously mounted in the cabinet II of the washing machine I0 in the manner shown in Figure 4. The mounting of the drain mechanism I6 is accomplished by inserting the outlets 35 and 36 in the aperturesv in the wall of the cabinet II so that they extend therethrough with the flanged portions 31 and 38 formed on said outletsush against the inner surface of the wall. Jam nuts 39 and 40 are threaded on'the external periphery of the outlets 35 and 35, respectively, and serve to draw the flanged portions 31 and 38v thereon tightly against the wall of the cabinet II thereby providing a rigid mounting for the drain mech-4 anism I6.

The drain mechanism I6 embodies a generally cylindrical casing 4I which is open at 'both ends thereof. An annular cover member 42 having a central opening 44 extending therethrough is secured to one of the open ends of the casing 4I as by means of the screws 43. A similar cover member 45 having a centrally disposed opening 48 therein is mounted on the other end of the casing 4I. The cover members 42 and 45 serve to secure in place against the ends of casing 4| the flexible diaphragms 4'I and 48, respectively, which operate in the manner hereinafter described to control the direction of flow of the water discharged from the tub 32 of the automatic washing machine I0 through the drain mechanism I6.

The casing 4I is provided with an internal, open ended generally cylindrical tube 49 which is disposed concentrically vwith respect to said casing t upper and lower generally annularly shaped,

chambers 5I and 52, respectively. An inlet 53 to which the hose connection 25 from the pump 28 is connected is advantageously cast integrally with the casing 4I so as to extend therethrough Y and connect directly to the tube 49. It willbe understood that any other suitable arrangement of the parts or manner of their fabrication may be'employed in the structure of the vcasing 4I, that illustrated being only by Way of preferred example. Y

The tube 49 is preferably formed slightly shorter in its axial dimension than the overall axial length of the casing 4I. Thus, the ends of the tube 49 which serve as seats 54 and 55 for the flexible diaphragms 4'I and,48, respectively, are disposed inwardly from the open ends of the casing 4I and directly below the central openings 44 and 46 in the cover members 42 and 45, respec -most edges of the openings 44 and 46 in cover members 42 and 45, respectively, are also advantageously tapered outwardly to facilitate the free movement of the diaphragms 41 and 48.

The outer wall of casing 4| adjacent the point where the outlets 35 and 36 join is bulged slightly as indicated in Figures 5 and 6 vto enable said outlets to join the cylindrically formed casing in substantially tangential relation thereby minimizing the resistance to the passage of the fluid therethrough. The outlet 35 interconnects with the lower chamber 52through the port 56 while the outlet 36 communicates with the upper chamber 5| as by means of the port 51. It will be seen that, depending upon opened to permit the fluid introduced thereto by the inlet 53 to emerge therefrom, said inlet 53 may be connected with either chamber 5| or chamber 52 and will, therefore, deliver fluid to outlet 36 or outlet 35, respectively, as the case may be.

The cover member 42 is provided with a pair of raised bosses 58 while the cover member 45 has corresponding bosses 59 yto which are secured the angles 60, 6| as by means of screws 63 threaded into said bosses for supporting the solenoid 62. The solenoid 62 has an axially movable magnetic core 64 which is adapted to be shifted from an extended position such as that illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings to a retracted position illustrated in Figure 5. The retracted position of the core 64 is achieved by energizing the coil of the solenoid 62 by supplyingvan electrical current thereto by connecting the connections 65 into a suitable electrical circuit.

One end of the crank arm 66 is secured to the free end of the core 64 of the solenoid 62 as by means oi' the pin 68. The crank arm 66 is adapted to pivot about a pin 12 which extends through an operating lever 61 arranged in contiguous relation to the crank arm 66 at a point adjacent one end of saidl lever. The other end of lever 61 is pivotally mounted in a bifurcated boss 69 formed on the cover member 45 and secured therein by means of the pin 18. At a point intermediate its ends the lever 61 is provided with a finger portion 1| extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis oi said lever to contact the iiexible diaphragm 48.

The end of the lever 61 adjacent the core 64 of the solenoid 62 is provided with a cut away portion 13 which is so formed that a portion of the lever 61 which remains is adapted to contact the pin 68 in the core 64 when said core is in its extended position as indicated in Figure 8 of the drawings. The free end of crank arm 66 has an aperture 14 therein which accommodates an end of a tension coil spring 1-5 the other end of which 4is hooked into an aperture 16 in lever 61 disposed adjacent the finger portion 1| thereon.

A second Operating lever 18 is pivotally mounted in a bifurcated boss 19 formed on the cover member 42 as by means of a pin 80. The lever 18 is provided at the end opposite that mounted in the boss 19 with a depending portion 8| having an aperture 82 in the lowermost end thereof into which an end of a tension coil spring 83 is hooked. The opposite end of the spring 83 is anchored to a post 84 secured in any suitable fashion to the cover member 45.

Like the lever arm 61, lever 18 is provided with l Vafirmar:

which end of the tube 49 is most ends of the link al finger portion 85 projecting substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said lever for contacting the flexible diaphragm 41. The lever arm 18 is connected to the crank arm 66 and the lever 61 with pin 12 by means of a pair of link members 86 which are pivotally secured to the lever 18 as by means of a pin 81 extending through said lever adjacent the depending portion 8| thereof. The link members 86 may advantageously be bent outwardly in that portion of their overall length extending between the pins 12 and 81 at the extremities thereof so as to clear the coil spring 83 which is disposed therebetween.

The flexible diaphragms 41 and 48 may be formed of any suitable flexible material such, for example, as rubber. artificial rubber, Neoprene or the like. To facilitate the manipulation of the diaphragms 41 and 48 by the lever arms 61 and 18 with respect to the seats 54 and 55. the center portion of said dlaphragms may advantageously be stiifened or reinforced as by means of a disk inserted or imbedded in the diaphragm inthe manner illustrated. The disk may be made of metal or any other suitable stiffening material.

'I'he drain mechanism |6 .of the present invention may be operated by any suitable electrical circuit through conductors 62.

When the solenoid 62 is energized, the core 64 thereof is shifted axially so as to approach the position shown in Figure 5. 'I'he recession of the core 64 moves the end of the crank arm 66 attached thereto by the pin 68' upward pivoting the arm slightly but principally raising its pivot point about the pin 12 by which it is connected to lever -61 and at the same time raising lthe lowermembers 66 lwhich are also connected to the pin 12. The shifting rof the pin 12 causes the lever 61 to pivot about its mounting on the pin 10 in the boss 69 so as to bring the finger portion 1| on said lever into contact with the stiilened central portion of the flexible diaphragm 48 Iurging it against the seat 55 on the tube 49 and thereby closing off the lowermost end of said tube. The spring 15 is extended slightly to cause the finger portion 1| with the core 64 of solenoid 62 in retarded position to apply sealing pressure of the diaphragm de against the seat 55 and permits the core 64 to seat itself properly to prevent chattering.

As the pin 12 on which the crank arm 66 is pivoted moves upwardly, the link members 86 are shifted in the directioniof their longitudinal axes; This movement of the link members 86 shifts the'pin 81 and the depending portion 8|l of the lever 18 upwardly (as seen in Figures 5 and ,6) thereby extending the coil spring 83 against the anchor post 84. The lever 18 is simultaneously pivoted about the pin in the boss 19 so as to raise the finger portion 85 thereof with respect to the flexible diaphragm 41. The pressure of the water introduced through the hose connection 25 and the inlet 53 to the tube 49 by the pump 26, which is started simultaneously with the energization of the solenoid 62, raises the flexible diaphragm 41 oil the seat 54 of the tube 49 causing the water withdrawn from the tub 32 of the washing machine |6 to pass ber 5|, through the port 51 therein, outlet 86 and hose connection |1 into the storage section I9 ci the laundry tray 2|.

When the solenoid 62 of the drain mechanism |'6is de'energized, the elements thereof will again return to their relative positions illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings.

into cham- In so'doing, as the core 84 of the solenoid 62 of the drain mechanism I6 is extended, the pin 12 drops downwardly relieving the tension in the spring 83 as the link members 86 are shifted and the spring causes the nger portion 85 of the lever 18 to urge or snap the iiexible diaphragm 41 into contact with the seat 54 on the tube I9. The tension in the coil spring is also relieved with the shifting of the core 64 and the pin 12 pivoting the lever 61 about'the pin 1|! and withdrawing the finger portion 1| from contact with the exible diaphragm 41 so as to allow it to drop away from the seat 55 of the tube 49 again opening the lowermost end of the tube. Thepin 68 in core 64 of solenoid B2 moves downward until it contacts the eut lever 61 which is supported in its lowermost position by the link members 86 and lever 18 the finger portion 85 of which rests upon the stiiened central portion of the iiexible diaphragm 41 disposed against its seat 5I.

As the pump 26 is operated following the rins ing cycle, the rinse water will be withdrawn from the tub 32. discharged through hose connection 25, inlet 53 and into the chamber 52 in the casing 4| of the drain mechanism I6. The water passes through the port 56 in the chamber 52, o-utlet 35 and the discharge hose connection I8 into the section 20 of the laundry tray 2| and thence through the drain 23.

When the next cycle of operations isinitiated, thev tub 32 o! the automatic washing machine I0 may be refilled with the soapy water employed in the previous washing operation and stored in section I9 of the laundry tray 2|. This operation may be accomplished by the use of a suitable portable motor driven pump unit 24 the flexible hose connection of which is inserted into the upper end of the tub 32 through the cover I3. The soapy water may be again withdrawn for storage, or it may thereafter be discharged to waste depending upon the number of times the operator wishes to reuse the same soapy water supply. It will also be understood that in the period during which the water isstored in section I9 of the laundry tray 2| o. suitable heating coil or other satisfactory heating means may be employed to raise the temperature of the water or maintain i-t substantially that required for the completion of the washing operation.

It will be understood that any suitable storage means may be employed for the temporary storage of the soapy water discharged from the tub 32 and any form of drain may be associated with the outlet connection I8 for the discharging of the water employed in the several laundering operations to the waste outlet.

is particularly advantageous for the reason that y most homes are equipped with such a fixture and away portion 13 on the Y The laundry tray 2 they may be readily adapted to store or discharge water therefrom.

It will, of course, be understood that various details oi construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by -the scope of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. A drain mechanism for a. washing machine or the like comprising a generally cylindrical casing, an open-ended substantially tubular member disposed within and in generally concentric relation to said casing, a wall portion disposed substantially perpendicularly with respect to the common axis of the casing supporting the tubular member therein and separating the space between the tubular member and the casing into a pair of outlet chambers so disposed that each communicates with an end `of the tubular member, an outlet connection for each outlet chamber an inlet connected to the tubular member,

a pair of valves seated on each end of the tubular member respectively, lever means for opening one of said valves and contemporaneously closing the other, means for actuating the lever means t0v open one and then the other of said valves in alternate relation.

2. A drain mechanism for a washing machine or the like comprising a generally cylindrical casing, an,openended substantially tubular member disposed within and in generally concentric relation to said casing, a wall portion supporting the tubular member in the casing and separating the interior of the said casing into a pair of chambers in communication respectively with opposite ends oi said tubular member, an inlet connected to the tubular member, an outlet connection for each chamber, a flexible diaphragm positioned to be seated against each end of .the tubular member, a lever pivoted'on each end of the casing, a link member connecting the two levers together, and means on each lever to actuate the adjacent diaphragm to open and close the respective ends of the tubular member. Y

3. A two-way valve unit for handling fluid com- Y prising a casing, an inlet in said casing, a, pair of chambersin the casing separated from each other but having axially aligned parts communicating with the inlet, an outlet. for each chamber, a flexible diaphragm for each chamber positioned lto be seated on the respective port to close the same, lever means pivotally 4mounted on the casing for opening one of said flexible diaphragms and closing the other, and means for actuating the lever means.

PETER EDUARD GELDHOF.

LUTHER RINGER. 

